Axis's own psychic abilities were only strong enough to teleport Ferrus Manus and a few hundred of his nearby sons back to the ship.
Kasha's psychic power, however, was on another level.
She was capable of teleporting people from across the entire planet's surface onto their vessel.
At this point, it was a matter of saving as many as they could. The star at the center of the system was about to explode. Axis had never imagined Horus would resort to detonating a sun just to deal with him.
"What is happening, Axis?" Kasha asked, her psychic power already in motion.
"Horus intends to detonate the system's star," Axis explained, "A supernova is imminent. We have to save as many people as we can!"
"Axis, I still have tens of thousands of my sons on that ship," Ferrus Manus said, his voice strained with urgency.
His Legion numbered over one hundred thousand, and together with the Salamanders and the Raven Guard, their combined loyalist forces numbered nearly 400,000 Space Marines.
That did not even count the hundreds of millions of mortal soldiers who had followed them into battle.
"There's nothing I can do," Axis said with a sigh, "This is just a Sword-class frigate. We'll cram as many as we can inside. Kasha, notify any Librarians who can still use their powers to start teleporting as well."
His own ship was small, and he lacked the ability to bring so many back in such a short time.
Ferrus Manus and Vulkan, standing nearby, opened their mouths to speak, but the Raven King stopped them.
Their immediate survival was paramount; they still did not know how Axis planned to withstand a supernova.
"I understand," Kasha nodded.
Her eyes shone with a blue light, and flashes of cerulean psychic energy flickered across the battlefield, pulling as many loyalist warriors back to the ship as possible.
Simultaneously, all the Librarians of the three loyalist Legions received Kasha's psychic communication.
More blue lights flared as Space Marines from the Salamanders, Iron Hands, and Raven Guard continuously materialized within the ship's corridors.
However, time was running out.
Kasha ceased her teleportation and approached Axis. "What is your plan to survive this supernova?"
"Your psychic power should be able to cover the entire ship," Axis instructed. "Use it to create a psychic shield over the vessel, and then we'll activate the ship's void shields. I will create the outermost defensive barrier. After that, we engage the warp drive."
Having said his piece, Axis began his Legendary Super Saiyan transformation.
"HRAAAAAGH!"
A dazzling, golden-green aura erupted from his body. His hair stood on end, his pupils vanished, his muscles bulged explosively, and his height increased dramatically.
After entering his Legendary Super Saiyan state, Axis spread his hands.
A verdant green barrier began to emanate from him, gradually expanding to envelop the entire frigate.
This was the only way Axis could think of to withstand the supernova's blast. The original Broly had used this same technique to survive a planetary explosion, and he had done so as an infant. Axis reasoned that with his current power, Kasha's psychic might, and the warp drive at full burn, they should be able to escape.
"I understand, Axis. You have my full support," Kasha said.
She unleashed her full psychic potential. A blue psychic barrier flowed from her, covering the ship and intertwining with Axis's energy to form a dual-layered defense.
"Void shields to full power!" a Tech-Priest on the bridge shrieked, pushing the ship's defensive systems to their absolute limit.
All around them, mortal crew members had fallen to their knees, deep in prayer.
"My power may also be of some assistance," Corvus Corax, the Raven King, said as he came to Kasha's side.
Black shadow-energy coiled from his form. Kasha intertwined this energy into her own barrier, making it a tad bit stronger, and giving it stealth properties.
The star at the system's heart began to swell violently.
Gouts of incandescent plasma erupted from its surface as the supernova's shockwave expanded outward at the speed of light. The entire Istvaan system was swallowed by a blinding white light.
Planetary surfaces vaporized in an instant, and warships in orbit were torn apart like paper boats.
BOOM!
The searing white light consumed everything. A destructive wave of energy radiated at lightspeed, tearing the Istvaan system asunder. Planets, starships, and debris all evaporated in the superheated fury. Before the terrifying power of a dying star, both man and xenos were utterly insignificant.
Axis's frigate was a lone lifeboat in a cosmic hurricane as the supernova's energy slammed into them.
The first barrier to meet the wave of destruction was the one Axis had created with the power of a Legendary Super Saiyan.
The shield was immensely powerful as it sealed off the space around the user. However, at this scale, the power was diluted.
Even then,shockwave from the supernova could not break through it immediately. Axis gritted his teeth, pouring more and more of his energy into maintaining it.
Kasha's psychic power proved vital, deflecting devastating waves of energy and radiation. Corvus Corax's shroud of shadow absorbed vast amounts of light and heat, easing the burden on Axis and Kasha while the ship's void shields flared at maximum capacity. Axis clenched his jaw, his muscles strained to their limit.
The verdant barrier rippled violently under the supernova's relentless assault. Although his power was immense, a direct hit from a supernova would surely kill him.
He might wield godlike destructive power, but he was not a god.
The frigate's void shield collapsed the instant the shockwave hit.
Kasha's psychic barrier vibrated violently, threatening to shatter as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She held firm through the pain.
Nearby, Corax body began to tremble violently. Even though his shadow-power was only offering partial support, it required his entire being to maintain.
Axis crossed his arms before him, the golden-green energy pouring from him in a desperate, unending torrent as he held back the force that was annihilating an entire star system. In the end, it fell to him to endure it all.
"Lord Axis! Our engines are damaged! We cannot make the jump to warp!" a crewman cried out in terror.
The ship's engines had been battered by the overwhelming energies.
"Then we'll punch through it!" Axis roared. His golden-green aura surged again. His muscles tensed, veins bulging as he wrung every ounce of power from his body.
Red fur sprouted across his form, his long golden hair was replaced by black, and his frame grew even more imposing. Axis had unleashed his Legendary Super Saiyan 4 form.
With this transformation, his power skyrocketed.
The verdant barrier not only held but began to push back against the supernova's shockwave.
Their ship, now encased in a shell of green energy, was blasted outward, flung toward the system's edge in a matter of moments.
A supernova was not an instantaneous event; its fury could last for centuries, or even longer.
"Don't just stand there! Get the damn warp drive online now! Get us out of this sector and into the Immaterium!" Axis bellowed.
At this point, the ship's void shield was gone, Kasha's psychic barrier had dissolved, and the Raven King's shadows had faded. Only Axis remained, a lone bastion against oblivion.
His golden-green shield was like a wall of iron, protecting everyone within the ship. The bridge crew nodded grimly and redoubled their efforts to activate the drive.
The shockwave continued its onslaught.
The frigate's outer hull began to melt, with some sections being vaporized outright, but Axis's energy shield held fast, preventing the vessel from being instantly disintegrated.
The warp drive roared to life, and the ship lurched forward, desperately trying to escape the supernova's reach.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of torment, their ship reached a safe enough distance. With a final surge, they activated the warp drive and plunged into the Immaterium, successfully escaping the supernova's cataclysmic wrath.
"We… we survived?" Ferrus Manus stared in disbelief at the fading white glare through a viewport.
Axis fell to one knee, gasping for breath as the golden-green aura slowly receded. The red fur vanished from his body, and his stamina was almost completely gone.
He thought, Did you really think a supernova could kill me, Horus? If he had only been protecting himself, Axis was confident he could have survived. But expanding his shield to envelop a two-kilometer-long frigate was a trial beyond imagination.
"Axis! Sister Kasha! Corax! Are you all right?" Vulkan rushed over and helped Axis to his feet.
Kasha was exhausted but stable.
The Raven King, Corvus Corax, however, had fallen unconscious.
Even for a mighty Primarch, briefly withstanding the energies of a supernova had proven too much.
"We're fine," Axis replied, his voice rough, "Kasha and I are just drained. Ferrus, get a headcount. How many did we manage to save?"
Ferrus Manus nodded and immediately began to tally the number of Space Marines on board. A short while later, he returned to Axis, his face grim.
"We have a total of just over eight thousand survivors. Three thousand from my Legion, twenty-eight hundred Salamanders, and twenty-five hundred Raven Guard."
Axis wiped the sweat from his brow. "It could have been worse," he said. "At least it wasn't a total loss."
...
..
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Bonus Chapter!!